LIBRARY OF THL U N IVER5ITY or 1 LLI NOIS HIGHLAND COUSINS m Nobel BY WILLIAM BLACK AUTHOR OF •A PRIKCESS OF THTLE," "MACLEOD OF DARE," ETC., ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. III. LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY LIMITED, Fettek LanE; Fleet Street, E.G. 1894. [All riyhts reserved.] LONDON : PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, STAMFORD STEEET AND CHARING CROSS. V, 3 CONTENTS OF VOL III. CHAPTER PAGE I. On a Summer's Evening 1 11. On Board a Steamer ... 17 III. A Public Sacrifice ... 35 IV. Best Man and Bridegroom 52 V. Forebodings ... 72 VI. In Peril 89 VII. Husband, Wife, and Friend ... 107 VIII. The Pleading Diet 120 IX. A Breaking and Entering ... ... 136 X. Asphodels and Gowans 154 XI. On the Eve ... 168 XII. Arraigned 185 XIII. Day and Night ... 199 XIV. Pauline 215 XV. A Summons ... 233 XVI. Farewell! 248 XVII. "At each PiEmove" ... 266 XVIII. A Sail 282 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/highlandcousinsn03blac HIGHLAND COUSIjSTS. CHAPTER I. ox A summer's eyexixg. To no one was the great news more welcome than to the councillor, who saw in it but another step towards the realisation of his own far-reaching schemes. And to celebrate the event, and perhaps — for certain dark reasons — to familiarise Jess with the spec- tacle of a pair of affianced lovers, he came bustling along on the following afternoon, and would have the schoolmaster and the two girls go away with him for a sail in Angus Maclsaac's boat, the Kelpie. There was a fine brisk breeze blowing ; they would adventure out into the golden regions of the west ; and the clear twilight would bring them home. VOL. III. B A HIGHLAND COUSINS. Well, there was nothing of the spoil-sport about Jess Maclean : if, on some rare occasion, tlie ' foolishness ' got hold of her, then she took care to hide herself away in solitude. Moreover these were Allan's holidays ; and during the working times of the year there was little enough diversion for him. So Jess at once and cheerfully put on her smartest things ; Barbara did the same ; the school- master was summoned ; and the councillor, having marshalled his forces, proceeded to escort them down to the sea-front. He was in the noblest of spirits ; it was as if he were leading them on to the conquest of Mexico or the capture of the last of the Incas. Unfortunately, when they reached the esplanade, they found that the Kelpie was away somewhere, and Angus with her ; but there was an alternative cutter, the Osprey, lying at her moorings ; and Maclsaac's repre- sentative, a young lad named Malcolm, was on the beach. To do this youth justice, he seemed to hesitate a little about the responsi- bility of letting the boat ; but Mr. McFadyen, in his stormily heroic mood, would take no refusal. "You'll come with us, man," he exclaimed, " and at least ye know how to manage the ON A SUMMER'S EVENINa. 3 things at the bow. I'll do the rest ; we'll get on splendid ; anybody can sail a boat on a fine summer evening like this. Oh, I know something about a boat — I've kept my eyes open — you'll see we'll just get on splendid." He would have no hanging back ; he carried everything before him ; he had him- self and his companions pulled out in a dingay ; they got on board ; and the coun- cillor straightway took up his post at the tiller. Columbus, calm and resolved in face of his insurgent followers, could not have looked more imposing. It is true he re- garded the movements of the youth Malcolm with a curiosity not unmixed with im- patience ; for, the commander being at the helm, why was nothing going forward — why was not the vessel making response ? But at length Malcolm got the little half-decked cutter slipped from her moorings ; and she began to creep slowly away before the wind. It was an altogether auspicious setting-out ; for although there was a stormy look about the skies — the ' sun had set up his back- stays ' over the western hills, the spreading rays of light striking downwards from the moving clouds — there was nothing to denote that the breeze would remain otherwise than 4 HIGHLAND COUSINS. benign and steady : the prospect was that after a pleasant run through the wild sunset- fires they would come gliding back through the still more wonderful afterglow, to walk homeward in the pearly dusk. There was at this starting only one little mischance. " Am I trusting my life to you, Mr. McFadyen ? " Jess happened to say, blithely, as she made herself a snug seat in the cockpit. " Ay, Miss Jessie," he answered her, " I wish ye would do that for altogether." But the confusion caused by this inad- vertent remark was only momentary ; Jess pretended to have heard nothing ; while Peter McFadyen was now, and rather angrily, trying to make out what the youth Malcolm meant by certain bashfully-suggested hints. " Will I haul up the main tack, sir ? " " What's that ye say ? " " Will I haul up the main tack ? " " Oh, we're doing well enough — we're doing fine ! " said Peter, fretfully — of course he did not like being interrupted in his task of entertaining his companions. Nevertheless the youth — shy and diffident as he was — would still interfere. He came aft. ON A SUMMEE'S EVENING. 5 "Will I slack out the boom a bit more, Sir? a We're doing fine — we're doing fine, I tell ye ! " retorted Peter with obvious irritability. " You go and attend to the things at the bow ; I'll manage the rest." Malcolm was a biddable lad. He went forward again. He only ventured to say, as he stood by the mast — " Will I hoist the foresail, sir ? '^ " What ? " bawled Peter. " Will I hoist the foresail ? " " Oh, hoist your grandmother ! Do ye not see that we're just fleein' ? " And, indeed, they were just fleeing. For the wind was from the east ; and now that they were getting, out from the bay, the gusts from over the cliffs struck frequent and hard, so that the Osprey went tearing along at an admirable pace, the foam churning at her bows. And Jess was merry ; and the councillor was delighted ; and Barbara could show off her ring, with its rosette of garnets ; the schoolmaster alone seemed to have doubts about the wisdom, and the possible result, of this performance. " I say, my friend," he observed to the steersman, " this is all very well, but how 6 HIGHLAND COUSINS. are we going to get back ? Don't you think we'd better keep up to windward — and try along the Sound, if you like " " Down the Sound of Kerrara — and a squally east wind blowing ? " cried Peter, with explosive hilarity. " Na, na — not me ! I wasna born yesterday ! It's just the very mischief when the squalls come down on ye in the Sound ; whereas here we're in the open ; and if there's anything to make a bother, ye can see it before it strikes ye. Man, it's a fine thing to feel a boat just fleein' beneath ye ! And an east wind's a land wind ; where can the trouble be ? — tell me that ! Come, Miss Jessie, sing us a song^ now ! Ay, you can sing, for all that you're so blate about it, and it's so difficult to get ye to open your mouth. We're just fleein'. It's a fine boat, this. Give us a song. Miss Barbara — come, now ! A fine boat — she answers to the helm just as if she was a living thing. I tell ye, it's a grand thing to be in a healthy climate like this — I could near sing a song myself " "We're all waiting for you, Mr. McFadyen!" said Jess. " Ay, and do ye want me to make an ass of myself? " demanded Feter. '' Well, I will. ON A summer's evening-. I would rather make an ass of myself than not keep the thing going, when I'm out on a frolic of this kind. TThat is it to be ? Dod, I'll make an ass of myself, if ye like " "Why every one knows you sing very well, Mr. McFayden," said Jess, with not a thought of sarcasm in her mind. "I'll tell ye a good one now," said Mr. McFadyen — and his small, roguish eyes were twinkling mirthfully, " a real good one. There was a chap I knew and he was boasting of his fine teeth, and says he ' I never once beheld the face of a dentist — I mean in anger.' ' In anger,' says he. * Never beheld the face of a dentist — in anger ' — " And here Peter burst into such a guffaw of laughter, and paid such small attention to the swaying tiller that only the merciful little cherub that sits up aloft could have said how a most ruth- less gybe was avoided. " But the song, Mr. McFadyen ? " said Jess. For a second Peter grew grave ; he was consideriuo;. Then arose an unearthlv howl — ' Cam' ye by Athol, lad wi' tlie philabeg, Down by the Tummel, or banks o' the Garry? Saw ye the lads wi' their bonnets and white cockades, Leaving their mountains to follow Prince Charlie ? 8 HIGHLAND COUSINS. Follow thee, follow thee, wha wadna follow thee — Lang hast thou loved and trusted us fairly ! Charlie, Charlie, wha wadna follow thee — King o' the Highland hearts, Bonnie Prince Charlie ! ' The high-pitched ' wha ' was almost beyond him ; but Mr. McFadyen was not the man to give in ; he attacked it gallantly ; and the result was a screech that must have startled the distant jackdaws far up among the ivied ruins of Duntroone Castle. " It's a little thing high for me," he remarked, with an air of apology ; and he did not venture on a second verse ; he was again observing the movements of the lad Malcolm — who had come aft to haul in the main-sheet, now that they were taking a more southerly course, with the wind on their beam. " Well, Barbara," said the schoolmaster, " do you see the Lady Rock over yonder ? " The girl looked up in quick alarm. " We're not going near there ! " she exclaimed. " No, no," said the councillor, gaily. " We'll just hold right on, and give ye a look at the Mull coast. It's a desolate place : a passing glimpse is all ye'll want." However, as it turned out, they were to -'Urfy^^^^ ON A summer's evening. 9 have more than a passing glimpse. For as time went on, tliose squalls from the east became more and more violent and vicious, and with each successive gust the too heavily canvassed boat would go heeling over, with a prodigious rattle of the loose spars on deck. The schoolmaster did not at all like the aspect of affairs ; but he was loth to call in question the councillor's seamanship, lest he should frighten the young women ; while the lad Malcolm had ceased to make any further suggestions — he watched those tear- ing and howling blasts, and then glanced uneasily towards the steersman to see what he would do. Mr. ]\[cFadyen of course was not to be daunted by any buffeting of wind and waves ; outwardly at least he maintained a perfectly careless demeanour ; he was even facetious at times ; but it was too evident that his jocundity was forced. And mean- while Barbara was beginning to show signs of abject terror. " I say, McFadyen, thisll never do," Allan interposed at last. *' We should have taken down a couple of reefs before coming out in this squally weather. Or couldn't you lower the peak, to take the strain off her ? Anyhow we must try to work our way back." 10 . HIGHLAND COUSINS. " Ay, just that," responded the councillor, with assumed equanimity. " Oh, yes, 1 suppose we may as well go back now. We've had a fine spin — and now we'll go back." Which was all very well ; but to run before a series of squalls is one thing, and to fight back against them is another. And now these gusts continued to increase in fury, insomuch that the councillor, hardly concealing his dismay, would seek a pre- carious safety in jamming the boat's head into the wind, where she would stagger for a second or so with the sails cracking and flapping. Then just as often as not she would fill on the other side — with her weather sheets home ; and here again would be further commotion — the clinging folk in the cockpit being flung about like peas in a bladder. And all this time the cutter was steadily drifting — drifting on to a lee shore ; and that lee shore the east coast of Mull. " Here, you." called out McFadyen, in his anger and desperation, " what's the price of this boat ? " The lad Malcolm did not answer : he seemed bewildered. " I've a great mind," Peter called out ox A SUMMEE-5 EYEXIXG. 11 again, savagely, ^' to run her over to Mull there, and bang her up on the beach ! ** " Oh, yes, yes ! " cried Barbara, piteously ; '' anywhere that we can get ashore ! " " Would I not be doing right ? — would I not be doing right ? " he said, eagerly appeal- ing to her for confirmation. '' "What do I care for the cost of a boat ? Human lives are of more value. I am responsible for your safety ; what do I care for this rotten old beast of a boat, that cannot sail anv more than a cow ? You lad, there, get out an oar, and put her head away from the wind : I'm going to run her up on the nearest shore, that's what Tm going to do, and ye may get the splinters back to Duntroone as best ye can." Almost immediately thereafter there seemed to fall around them an amazing calm and quiet ; the tumult appeared to cease ; they were gliding smoothly along with the hurry- ing waves, the main-sheet slacked out, the jib drawing steadily. Xor had Allan the heart to protest against this ignominious surrender, when he saw the agony of fright that Barbara was in ; her sole prayer was to get to land ; she did not care where or how. And the councillor, smarting under 12 HIGHLAND COUSINS. the humiliating consciousness of defeat, was as good as his word ; his teeth were set hard, his looks sullen ; he steered neither to the right nor to the left, for the navigation of Loch Speliv and that of Loch Don were equally unknown to him ; he was resolved upon running this unmanageable boat right up on the nearest shore — and he did it. Not that it was accomplished without a good deal of confusion. As they neared the beach there was a thunder of breaking waves all around ; then of a sudden the bow of the cutter seemed to rise in the air ; she swung over to starboard, the boom splashing into the water ; spray began to break over the stern ; and the wrecked company proceeded to get forward and clamber down by the bowsprit shrouds and the bobstay. Of course they got pretty well wet in the tumbling surf ; but at least they had now gained solid land- — in a strange twilight, under the shadows of the hills. And the boat ? " Let the boat go to the devil ! " said Peter, furiously, as he knocked the water out of his nether garments. '' Let her go to the bottom ! She's not fit for anything else. A boat that cannot sail is better at the bottom of the sea than anywhere else." ON A SUMMEE'S EVENING. 13 " Well," said Allan, with a more philosophic air, " I suppose we'll have to search for some farmhouse or some cottar's hut, where Jessie and Barbara can be sheltered for the niofht : and I will make my way to Craigenure or some such place, and try to get a telegram sent to Mrs. Maclean." " But the lad — what about the young lad ? " asked the ever considerate Jess. The lad Malcolm, who had not made anv remark during all this transaction, was now engaged in getting down the mainsail ; and as the bow of the boat was firmly imbedded in seaweed and shingle — and as the jib remained sheeted Lome — it appeared quite possible that she would not swing broadside on to the beach. They called to him to come ashore ; but he answered something about a kedge. At all events he was in no danger — when he chose he could clamber down from the bowsprit with no greater damage than wet knees. But this was the most uncanny region in which they now found themselves : a solitary and voiceless region — no sign of any human habitation — no sign of any road — nothing but undulations of rocky moorland and heather leading up to precipitous and sterile crags. 14 HIGHLAND COUSINS. And no less remarkable was it when they turned from this clear, intense twilight to regard the glowing and warm-coloured world they had left behind ; for the storm seemed already to have abated considerably, and away over by Oriiachan and Cruach Lerags and Loch Feochan the skies were quite serene. " Barbara," said the schoolmaster, timidly — not wishing to provoke her to any petulance, '' don't you think you would make another trial ? We may be wandering about this coast all through the night before coming to a house — and Mrs. Maclean will be very anxious. The wind seems to be slackening down " '' Will you keep away from the Lady Rock ? " she said, with terrified eyes. " Yes, yes," he answered her. " I quite understand why you should be nervous — I quite understand that ; but we can keep well away from the Lady Rock ; we will be making across for Kerrara and the entrance to the bay. If the lad has put out a kedge, we might get the boat floated off, for the tide is on the flood ; and anything would be better than wandering about the shore of Mull all night." ox A summer's evening. 15 And eventually he did persuade her to go down to the beach again, though she still looked on the disabled Osprey with evident apprehension. There could be no doubt that meanwhile the squalls had moderated in vehemence. " Allan," said Jess, demurely, " do you not think that Mr. McFadyen has had enough of the hard work ? Why should you not sail the boat back ? " He looked at her ; and whenever the eyes of those two met there was an instant intelli- gence between them. ''Oh, I'll take my turn," said he. ''Yes, I'll take my turn. And we'll try her with a little less canvas on her." It was a tedious and difficult business getting the boat floated oif again ; but at last they had her under way, with her main- sail double-reefed ; and as Allan was now in charge of the tiller, it fell to the gay McFadyen to beguile the time and cheer his companions with song. He sang of ' Craigie Burn Wood ; ' he sang ' My Nannie's awa' ; ' he sang ' There grows a bonnie brier-bush,' and ' Flow gently, sweet Afton,' and ' Logie o' Buchan, 0 Logie the laird,' and many another well-established favourite. And all the while they were 16 HIGHLAND COUSINS. sailino: throu2:li an enchanted world of fire and splendour ; and when, after the long beat to windward, they entered Duntroone Bay, there was a golden moon in the south, and the lapping waters glanced and shivered in this new radiance. '' All's well that ends well," said Peter, as he courageously stepped ashore. ''We've had a splendid sail, and a fine adventure. And after all, maybe it's better for us to be back on the mainland rather than passing the night in some lonely wee public-house in the east of Mull." ( 17 ) CHAPTER II. ox BOARD A STEAMER. These ouglit to have been halcyon days for the schoolmaster : vacation time — a newly- won and beautiful sweetheart — and the winding shores, the solitary bays, and the wild hills of the West Highlands for their long summer rambles. Then he had found an easy way of propitiating her to kindness and even to gratitude : when he brought her some little bit of millinery ornament she was as pleased as an infant with a new toy. Nor did he greatly deprecate the love of finery, and the love of display, that appeared to have gradually taken possession of her since she came to live in Duntroone. In many resjoects she was but a child ; and in her very childishness and ignorance there was for him a mysterious charm. Philosophy VOL. III. c 18 HIGHLAND COUSINS. — poetry — history : these were all written about human life ; but here was that strangest of all strange things, a human life itself — wonderful, incomprehensible, and yet dowered with an increasing and enthralling fascina- tion. Halcyon days indeed — ' the golden age — the golden age come back.' No, he did not grudge her these pretty trifles — though he would rather have been saving up the cost of them for more impor- tant ends ; and he was glad to see her wearing them ; and proud of her appearance at all times. But now a much more serious matter intervened. When they came to discuss the question of choosing a house, he found that Barbara's ideas and claims were of a kind to take his breath away. " You will be giving up your lodgings," said she, boldly, " and why should you not give up the rooms for your classes as well, and put everything in one, so that you could have a good house like Rose Bank ? " " Rose Bank ? " said he, in astonishment. ^' Do you know what the rent of Rose Bank is likely to be, Barbara ? " " They are telling me," she responded, without flinching, " that your classes are sure to be getting bigger and bigger." ON BOARD A STEAMER. 19 ^'I wonder," said he, good-naturedly, '' who ever heard of a poor schoolmaster being able to pay for a view ! " " Yes, it is a very fine view," said Bar- bara. " And I would like to see the steamers coming into the bay and going out ; and every one coming in and going out would see the house." '' And what would they think ? They would think I had married a fortune ! " '' And why not then ? " she retorted auda- ciously. " Let them think that, if they like ! They are welcome to think that, if they like ! " He did not pursue the argument further, for she was apt to grow petulant when opposed ; but on the earliest possible oppor- tunity he went along to call on Mr. McFadyen, who he imagined would be sure to know all about rents, and rates and taxes, and the cost of furniture. Mr. McFadyen was in his office ; and when he was told of Barbara's ambitious project, he openly laughed. '' Rose Bank ? " said the merry councillor. *' I'm thinking, Allan, lad, ye'd soon be Rose Bankrupt ! What would be the use of that big garden to you ? See, now, I'll just take down my hat, and we'll go out for a half- hour's stroll here and there, and have a look 20 HIGHLAND COUSINS. round : maybe we may light on something a little more practicable than Rose Bank." So the two left the office together, and set out on their house-hunting expedition ; thouo;h it soon bes^an to look as if this freak of generosity on the part of the councillor had not been wholly altruistic. He, also, seemed anxious to have advice and assurance. " You're a clever fellow, Allan," he went on to say, '' and learned and deep in meta- pheesics and the like o' that ; and I've been wanting to put a question to you. I've been wanting to ask you whether it is his real self that a man reveals to himself in his dreams. Ye see, it's this way. I don't boast that I have more courage than other folk ; I wouldna do that ; but I hope I have my share — it's reasonable to hope I have my share. Well, then, if in a dream ye feel yourself a terrible, terrible coward^ and if ye act as a coward, is that your real self — is that how ye would act if the circumstances were to happen to ye in real life ? Ye see, it's this way. The night before last I had a long and harassing dream ; I thought I was a soldier — and there was going to be a battle — and we were all drawn up in ranks — m a half kind of darkness, for the daylight ON BOARD A STEAMER. 21 was not yet declared. The enemy — savages — was comino- near ; everv moment we expected to hear the firing begin. I tell ye, the mortal fear that I was in I cannot describe to ye. There was a great big man in front of me, and I kept behind him as well as I could, and thought he might shelter me from the bullets. And then there was a corporal, or a captain, or somebody like that standing behind us ; and says I to him, in a clever, offhand sort of way ' Ye need not think I'm frightened ; I'm just going along to sharpen my sword on the doorstep — it's a wee thing blunt.' And then I moved off to an empty house that was hard by ; and I passed in, and went away up to an attic ; and thinks I to myself ' Xow I'll crouch down here in the dark ; and when it's all over, I'll go out again, and flourish my sword, and they'll think I was through everything.' And then thinks I ' But if the savages drive back our men, will the black devils come up the stair, and find me, and drag me out?' Dod, I was in a terrible way ; but I hid close all the same ; and the firing began — crack ! crack ! — until I couldna help creeping up and looking out of the window : and as sure as death, alono- with 22 HIGHLAND COUSINS. our men, facing the savages, there was a woman. And says I to myself ^ Have ye not as much courage as that woman ? ' — and even then I would have gone down the stair, and gone out, but I declare to ye my knees were shaking so that I could not cross the floor. AYhat happened after that I'm no sure ; but I ask ye — Was that me ? Was that my real self? Is that what I would have felt, what I would have done, in a real battle ? It's been distressing me, man, be- yond measure ! Was that my real self? " " Oh, no, not necessarily ! " Allan replied, and the councillor seemed instantly to ex- perience considerable relief. " Just as often as not a man does things in dreams that he would never think of in real life — is a per- fectly different person, in short. Tlie chances are you are dreaming when your vitality is at its lowest point — the bravest man may imagine himself as timorous as a mouse — the wandering brain may suggest all kinds of horrors " " Because," said Mr. McFadyen, thought- fully, " I would not like to think myself just such a coward as all that comes to. And yet — well, I have been trying to screw up my courage — and — and slackening away ON BOAED A STEAMER. 23 again. And I have been wondering — yes, I will confess this to you — I have been wondering what was the best way to ask a young woman if she will marry you ? " •' I suppose every man has to find that out for himself," Allan answered. " Ay, do ye say that ? " the councillor rejoined, with a meditative air. " Do ye say that ? Every man to find out for himself." And then he heaved a pensive sigh. " I'm thinking it's a terrible business," said he, absently. On the first expedition they were unsuc- cessful— it was not a good time of year for house-hunting, when nearly every place, big or little, was let ; but within the next day or two Allan heard of a small villa up in Battery Terrace that would become vacant in about a month's time, and he persuaded Barbara to go with him to look at it. Barbara was at first clearly disappointed by the size of this two-storeyed tenement ; but its position — the position of the whole of the Terrace, indeed — was certainly conspicuous enough ; it com- manded a view over the whole of the bay. The lady in occupation — who was merely a summer tenant — appeared to recognise the situation of affairs ; she displayed quite a 24 HIGHLAND COUSINS. friendly interest in this sby and beautiful- eyed young creature ; and was most amiable in showing her the not over numerous apart- ments. The strange thing was that when they came out again, Barbara's first remark had no reference to this house they had been examining. '' When will vou be takino; Jessie and me to Tobermory ? " she asked. *' Tobermory will not run away," he said, trying to get out of it in this fashion. " It will wait for us. There's no hurry." " You said you would take us," she per- sisted. " But if you wish for a sail, why not take the Grenadier^ and let us go all the way round, and have a look at Staffa, and lona, and the islands ? " '-' I do not wish to see islands," she said, almost sullenly ; "I have had enough of islands. I wish to see the people in Tober- mory who are Mrs. Maclean's relatives, for they are my relatives too." Well, he was most reluctant — though he could hardly have explained why — to go anywhere in the Aros Castle; yet after all this was but a trifling favour ; whereas she had granted to him the greatest he could ox BOARD A STEAMER. 25 have demanded of her. Had she not acceded to his prayer that the wedding should take place in these present summer holidays — though many a girl would have insisted on a longer engagement ? " Very well, then," he said, " as soon as you like " — and without more ado she would have him at once go down with her to see Jess, and make plans for the trip. And thus it was that on one of these morn- ings the schoolmaster called for the two girls, and together they set forth, leaving the pre- cincts of the town, and making for the South Pier, where the Aros Castle was lying. For this excursion Barbara had certainly decked herself out in her best and bravest; and again she had compelled him to wear a flower in the lapel of his light grey coat ; indeed he and she might well be taken for bride and bridegroom away on their honey- moon tour, had it not been for the presence of Jess, whose costume, neat and trim as always, was nevertheless not of a showy kind. And yet, in spite of the general holiday appearance of this little party, Allan Hendersons face was grave. He could not but remember what had happened on a recent occasion. 26 HIGHLAND COUSINS. " Barbara,'' said lie, in something of an undertone, when they were approaching the steamer, '^ I do not know what quarrel you have with Ogilvie ; but I hope at least you will not make any public display of it." " I am not wishing to have anything whatever to do with Ogilvie," she said, with her head erect. And here, sure enough, was the Purser, who regarded them with not a little surprise, esj^ecially when he saw that they were actually coming on board. All the same he advanced to meet them — with a kind of doubtful look on his face. It was Barbara who went first along the gangway. He raised his cap — waiting for her to decide whether there was to be any further greet- ing : in response to his salutation she accorded him the briefest and frigidest of little bows, then she turned haughtily away, without a word. Jess came next ; but with the ever- friendly Jess there was no trouble ; he shook hands with her ; and said " I hope you are very well, Miss Jessie " ; and she passed blithely and smilingly on. As between the two men there was but the common and familiar nod, which meant nothing : it bespoke neither friendship nor enmity. Altogether, ox BOARD A STEAMER. 27 whatever embarrassment may have been felt, none was allowed to become manifest ; besides, the Purser had his multifarious duties to attend to ; there was every excuse for his not coming and paying further attention to these acquaintances of his. Barbara would remain on this upper deck, so Allan went and fetched three camp-stools. She was cpite gay and talkative ; she was in holiday mood as well as in holiday attire ; indeed, Jess had an uneasy feeling that she was making a parade of her high spirits and general satisfaction. However, there was a good deal of bustle going on around ; for now the passengers Lad arrived from the train ; the cables were being thrown off ; and presently the Aros Castle was steaming across to the Xorth Pier. Then, after a brief delay, the voyage was resumed ; slowly, but with increasing speed, they crept away from the houses ; they passed the lofty rock with its time-worn ruins ; they stood away out into the swift-glancing blue waters of the Frith of Lorn. It was a perfect day ; the colours on the hills were of a velvet softness, with here and there a stain of ethereal purple from some high and almost motionless cloud. The air was sweet and 28 HIGHLAND COUSINS. fresh, with a sharp and keen sea-flavour in it. But as they drew towards Mull, Barbara's ostentatious enjoyment became moderated somewhat ; and once or twice she looked apprehensively forward. " Don't you be afraid, Barbara," the school- master said to her, reassuringly ; " we are not going anywhere near the Lady Rock. Of course I can well understand your being nervous : that must have been a bad hour or two you spent on the rocks there, in the darkness, though there was not so much cause for alarm, if you had only known. Now," he went on — talking for the sake of talk, to distract her attention from the solitary reef, round which the calm summer seas were now peacefully lapping — " there might have been something to terrify you on the night that Mr. McFadyen ran us ashore on the coast of Mull. Did you ever hear of Ewen of the little head ? " " No," said she, looking up. "Well, that is the district he haunts — from Duart to Lochbuie," he proceeded, " and if we had had to wander about during the night, you might have seen the wild horse- man, leaping over chasms, and spurring up ox BOAED A STEAMER. 29 the sides of precipitous cliffs. That might indeed have terrified you " '' But who was he ? " she demanded : her eyes were beginning to ' glower,' as they always did when a phantom story was told her. " Ewen of the little head ? " he repeated. " Eobhann a' chinn bhig — ^he was the eldest son of one of the Maclaines of Lochbuie ; and as he was rebellious and turbulent, his father was forced to call in his kinsman, Maclean of Duart, to subdue him. Duart got together his men and marched down towards Lochbuie ; and there was to be a great battle ; and the night before the battle, Ewen of the little head went to a witch to ask her if he was to win on the morrow. But I should have told you that Ewen was married to a woman of great meanness and parsimony. Very well. When he had asked the witch she says to him * To-morrow morn- ing, at breakfast, if your wife gives you butter without your asking for it, then you will win the battle.' Next morning at breakfast Ewen waited and waited, and his wife offered him nothing. ' Why are you drum-drumming with your feet on the ground ? ' says she — for he was in a terrible 30 HIGHLAND COUSINS. rage. ' It is better for a man to be slain/ says he, ' than live indoors with a bad wife.' And with that he rushed out, and called his followers to the battle ; and almost at the very first onset, he had his head slashed from his shoulders with one stroke of a broadsword. And then it was that his horse tore away, and galloped and galloped through the glens and over the hills — for days and days he was seen — the headless horseman in full armour, galloping across impossible places, at a fearful speed. Ay, and he is seen now. He is seen whenever any harm is going to happen to one of the Maclaines of Locbbuie. And that would indeed have been something to terrify you, if you had encountered Eobhann a' chinn bhig, the night we were ashore on Mull." "It is to frighten children that they are telling such stories," she said — though she herself seemed considerably impressed. "" No, no, Barbara," Jess said, with the shrewd and pleasant grey eyes smiling. " That is not why the story is told. The story is told by husbands to warn their wives not to be too miserly with them." And with this desultory talk, varied by an occasional glance at their fellow-passengers. ON BOAED A STEAMER. 31 they called in at Craigenure, and left again and went onwards and across to Loch Aline — Loch Aluinn, the beautiful loch — and re- sumed their course up the Sound of Mull, the day all radiant around them. At the same time Jess could not but be conscious that she was the third person here. These two must of necessity have many things to speak of — their wedding — the house in Battery Terrace — their future plans — that they would prefer to talk over by themselves; and so she by-and-bye got up and began to stroll about a little, looking at this and that, until at length, in the course of her apparently aimless peregrinations, she went down the steps leading to the main-deck, and there she took her place on a seat by the gunwale, just aft of the companion descend- ing to the saloon. Now they were free to talk as they chose ; she could not see them, nor they her ; probably by this time they had already forgotten her existence. But there was some one else who liad observed her retreat to this sheltered spot. In a little while the Purser came up to her. '' Miss Jessie," said he, " I am very glad to have the chance of a word with you. I 32 HIGHLAND COUSINS. think your cousin Barbara has got off her head." " What do you mean, Mr. Ogilvie ? " said Jess, rather bridling up. " Well, she came down to the quay the other day," he went on bluntly enough, " and she was as insulting as she could be — aloud — so that there was no mistake but that I should hear. And what I say is, she'd better keep a quiet tongue. I do not want to make mischief; but I will not suffer that kind of thing from any young madam, I do not care who she is. And that is what I say : your cousin had better keep a quiet tongue. I have a piece of paper in my pocket at this moment; it was lucky I did not tear it up and throw it away. But there was a bit of a tussle between Henderson and me ; and I did not know what might come of it; and I thought I might as well keep this scrap of writing." He brought out a leather pocket-book. " I am not vindictive," he proceeded ; " but I will not have insolence from anybody. And I wonder what Henderson would say if he saw this ? " He extracted from the pocket-book a folded piece of paper, and opened it, and handed it to her. She recognised Barbara's handwriting ON BOAED A STEAMER. P. 3 readily enough — ' Will you meet me to-night at nine o'clock, at the small gate under the Castle Hill f I have something of importance to say to you. — Barbara' " Do you see what that means ? " he said. *' I can hear her talking and boasting about a house in Battery Terrace, whenever I chance to pass by ; but she does not know that I have th^it little message in my pocket. And of course I did not go ; I did not even answer her ; I'm for a quiet life ; I refuse to be dragged into trouble to please her or anybody else." For a moment or two Jess was silent, as she stared blankly at the words before her, and her fingers were slightly trembling ; she began to understand certain matters that had of late been strange to her. "But you told me — you did not wish to make mischief?" she said, slowly. " Xo," he replied, with a certain hesitation. *' I do not particularly want to make mischief. At the same time '' Quick as thought she tore the paper twice across and pitched the fragments over the side : they floated away on the seething foam in the wake of the vessel. And almost as white as that foam were her firm-set lips. VOL. in. D 34 HIGHLAND COUSINS. He looked mortified only for a second. '^ I suppose you think you've done your cousin a very good turn ? " he said, with an appearance of equanimity. ^'Perhaps so. But if the writing has been destroyed, the facts remain. And I tell you the young madam had better take care," ( 35 CHAPTER III. A PUBLIC SACRIFICE. It was on one of these afternoons, as Allan Henderson and Barbara were returning homewards by the shores of the solitary and beautiful Loch Sleochan, that they beheld a marvellous apparition steal slowly into the still landscape. Far away, beyond the glassy- waters of the lake, far away beyond the swampy morass where the curlews were calling, down the lonely moorland road came a long, undulatory, straggling assemblage, dark in hue as contrasted with the surround- ing country, yet showing tags and dots of colour here and there. " What is that ? *' asked Barbara, with her eyes staring. " Terrible as an army with banners." said the schoolmaster. " It is a revolution, Barbara. No, it is a resurrection — of ail o6 HIGHLAND COUSINS. the hosts slain in the time of Eobhan a' chinn bhig " He paused. Surely there was some faint and measured throb borne to them on the listening air ? — and was there not a glint of sunlit brass at the head of the long and serpentine procession ? The martial music became more audible. " Whoever they are, friends or foes, we must meet them, Barbara," said the school- master. But that was precisely what did not happen. For at this point the road wound round one or two promontories jutting out into the mirror-like lake, so that they lost sight of that distant concourse of folk ; and when in process of time they again came in view of the head of the loch, there was not a human being anywhere visible. It looked as if the earth had suddenly opened and swallowed them up. "" Did I not tell you they were ghosts ? " said Allan. " They have gone into the grounds of Inveruran House," retorted Barbara. " I can hear the band still playing." Well, when these two arrived at the lodge- gate, Allan made bold to ask the woman in A PUBLIC SACRIFICE. 37 charge what was meant by this portentous invasion of so secluded a neighbourhood ; and she answered him that the young laird had invited the temperance societies of Duntroono to come out and listen to an address and witness a ceremony ; and that a number of the townspeople had accompanied them. From the way she hung back she evidently expected that Allan and his companion would also pass in ; and Barbara was curious ; spectacular displays of any kind are rare in that country-side ; so the two new-comers accepted the mute invitation, and entered. As it chanced, they were well repaid. For when they had reached the end of the winding avenue, and emerged into the open, a remarkable scene presented itself. On the steps in front of the open hajl door stood four persons : a tall, elderly lady dressed in deep mourning, two younger ladies in more cheer- ful attire, and an oldish-looking young man of about eight-and-twenty, with clean-shaven face and rather tired eyes. At the foot of the wide steps, on the carriage drive, were ranged rows of large vats and barrels. Then all around stood the crowd, in a sort of loose semi-circle, most of the men wearing badges and insignia, conspicuous amongst which o8 HIGHLAND COUSINS. were the red and white and blue and white sashes of the Eechabites. When the school- master and Barbara drew near the motley gathering, about the first person they recog- nised was Long Lauchie, the shoemaker ; and by him they remained ; doubtless he could tell them as well as anyone what was going forward. At first, indeed, there was nothing but an ordinary temperance lecture, which the young man with the grey, worn face was delivering, if not with eloquence, at least with a convincing simplicity and earnestness. But if these statements he was making were familiar, they were none the less welcomed by his audience with an extraordinary enthusiasm ; cheer after cheer arose at the end of each telling sentence ; and even the lads and boys who formed the fringe of the throng contributed their reckless hurrahs. All save Long Lauchie seemed to share in the general excitement. The unhappy Lauchlan was silent and depressed ; his eyes were lustreless ; a melancholy * of Cerberus and blackest Midnight born/ appeared to have possession of his soul. His gay sash was hardly in keeping with this air of profound despondency. A PUBLIC SACRIFICE. 39 But it was now that young Murray of Inveruran proceeded to explain the chief reason why he had asked these good folk to assemble. He would not, he said, utter a single word against those who had gone before him ; other times had other manners ; and there was no doubt that our forefathers had been in the habit of drinking more than was good for them. In these present days the national conscience had become awakened ; serious attention had been called to the widespread misery and ruin resulting from the use of alcohol ; and man's duty to his fellow man had become part of the accepted moral law. Long ago, he went on, he had resolved that when in the course of nature he came to succeed to the Inveruran estate, one of his first acts would be to see that every butt and bin of wine, every cask of ale and spirits, found in the cellar should be destroyed ; and if circum- stances had detained him in foreign parts during the last few years, and delayed the execution of this project, the time had at length arrived. It was not, he said, a trifling sacrifice. Large sums could have been obtained for the various wines that, for convenience sake, had now been decanted 40 HIGHLAND COUSINS. and emptied into the vats before them. There were ports, sherries, madeiras of almost incredible age ; there were Burgundies, clarets, Ehine wines of inestimable quality ; there were brandies and whiskies that had been handed down from generation to genera- tion, and carefully tended and replenished. But no pecuniary inducement could tempt him to the dissemination of poison. It must be destroyed ! [Here there was an indescribable com- motion throughout the crowd ; the yelling and cheering became tumultuous ; the small boys threw their caps in the air, with more wild hurrahs. Long Lauchie sighed heavily.] It had been suggested to him, the young- laird proceeded, that he might have sent these wines and spirits to the great hospitals in the south. But medical men did not seem to agree as to the efficacy of alcohol in cases of illness ; and even if it could be proved that here and there some slight advantage might accrue, the counterbalancing risk of sowing the seeds of fatal habits was of far greater import. No ; he would have no half-measures ; he would carry his principles into practice ; there was nothing for it but the utter extermination, so far as lay in one's A PUBLIC SACRIFICE. 41 power, of those pernicious fluids that were wreckino: the body and soul of our fellow- creatures. ''John!" There was a little old man standing bj, a little old man with short side-whiskers, who held a hammer in his hand. " Perhaps," said the young laird, with a dry smile coming over his prematurely dessi- cated face, '* perhaps it may interest you. gentlemen, to know that the first cask to be opened contains between twenty and thirty dozen of Madeira, that made several long voyages in my great-grandfather's time. It has come to the end of its travels at last." He signed with his finger to the little old man, who in a nervous and tremulous fashion went along to the furthest vat. There, after some tugging and hammering, the bung was extracted, and at once there gushed forth a stream of clear amber fluid. A hoarse roar of rejoicing arose from the crowd. "Hurrah! — hurrah ! " shouted the small boys. And Lauchlan Maclntyre, when he observed the turbid rivulet come along the channel for draining the carriage drive — so close under their feet that Barbara had to step on to the lawn to save her skirts — Lauchlan resrarded 42 HIGHLAND COUSINS. it with an air of still deeper dejection, and sighed more heavily than before. " I admire that young man," said the schoolmaster. '* It may be idiotcy — but there's earnestness at the back of it. And he's a weakly-looking creature, too." Barrel after barrel followed — red streams, golden streams, white streams, commingling and rushing away down the sloping drive ; while the din and clamour of the exultant Rechabites filled the quiet evening air. '' Poor old Sandy Livingstone ! " said the schoolmaster, absently. " There's now one water the less for him to poach. This stuff will have killed every sea-trout in the Uran burn." " It is a sin and a shame ! " said Barbara, in sharper tones. *' There are many poor people who might have had the benefit, in the cold of the winter." " What, what ? — you must not talk like that, Barbara ! " her companion remonstrated. " You have been greatly privileged. You have witnessed a sacred rite. You have beheld a libation poured out in honour of one of the new gods ; and who knows but that the new god may be well worthy of worship ? Anyhow, the w^orship itself is the valuable A PUBLIC SACPJFICE. 43 thing : think with what a serene conscience that young man will fall asleep to-night." " Ay, the conscience," murmured Lauchlan, from the depths of his woe. '' You may well say that — you may well say that. It's the conscience that has to be obeyed — though the flesh cries out in its wakeness." And at length the work of destruction was complete ; there remained nothing but the empty tuns and the purple and brown stains on the gravel. Then the hero of the hour thanked the assemblage for having responded to his invitation ; they gave him three cheers, and one cheer more ; the band took up position ; the ranks were re-formed ; and to the stirring strains of ' Xeil Gow's Farewell to Whisky ' the whole concourse, small boys and all, set out again for Duntroone. There was no very strict order kept on this line of march ; stragglers from the crowd joined in the procession so as to chat with their friends ; and thus it was that Lauchie Maclntyre could still have w^th him the two young people whose society, in his present dolorous state, had proved something of a solace to him. " I'm afraid," said Allan — in an inter- val of peace allowed them by the band — 44 niGHLAXD COUSINS. " I'm afraid you're not lookino- so well, Laucblan." " No, I am not well at ahl," replied Lauchlan, with another heavy sigh. '' I have been eating nothing, or next to nothing, for some time back. I'm not fit to be here the day — but it was a great occasion — for giving testimony " The band broke in upon them with ' Johnny Cope ' — a fine marching tune. When quiet had been restored Lauchlan turned to the other and younger of his companions. " I was hearing of the wedding, Miss Barbara," he said. " And there's a little present I have waiting for you — will you come into the house, and take it home with you ? " Indeed I am obliged to you, Mr. Mac- Intyre," responded Barbara, with glad assent. Allan looked a little disconcerted : it was scarcely for one in Long Lauchie's circum- stances to be buying wedding-presents. But the schoolmaster did not at the moment put in an objection ; he was unwilling to rob Barbara of any little pleasure ; and perhaps after all the gift might not be of much value. A PUBLIC SACRIFICE. 45 So when they had got back to Duntroone, the three of them made for the shoemaker's humble dwelling, and ascended to the room on the first floor. It was a cheerless-looking place ; and perhaps it was the doleful aspect of it, or perhaps it was the fatigue of the march, that seemed to overcome Lauchlan ; with a hopeless groan he sank down U23on a wooden chair. And then again he raised his head, and began to look round the apart- ment, warily and fearfully. " Sometimes," he said, in a sombre fashion, " sometimes I am seeing things that are not there." Then he appeared to remember why he had invited these guests to come indoors ; he got up from the chair, and went away, slowly and dejectedly, to a cupboard in the passage. " Barbara," said the schoolmaster, in a quick undertone, " Lauchlan Maclntyre is far from well. Could you not offer to make him some tea ? " " I could not offer to make tea in another person's house," she replied, not too civilly. Almost at the same moment Lauchlan re- turned, holding in both hands (for they were shaking a little) his wedding-gift. It was an old-fashioned four-tubed Scandinavian 46 HIGHLAND COUSINS. liqueur-bottle, that originally had been some- thing rather fine ; but it had been debased by the addition of a flaunting electro-plated handle and stopper ; and was now apparently serving as a whisky-decanter. '^ It belonged to my wife," said he, '^ and she might come back to tek it aweh." " Oh, thank you indeed ! " said Barbara, receiving the gift with manifest gratification. " Barbara — you cannot ! " interposed the schoolmaster, with an angry and impatient frown. "It is Mrs. Maclntyre's ! " '' Ay, that is the reason — that is just the reason," said Lauchlan, as he sank into the chair again. " She might come back. I am not wishing for it to be here. And it is of no use to me now," he went on mournfully. " It is of no use any more — never any more. It is a sign of evil things that have been thrown aside ; I am not wishing to see it again." " Barbara," the schoolmaster once more protested, " put that decanter back in the cupboard. It belongs to Mrs. Maclntyre." " But if Mr. Maclntyre is wishing it out of the house," Barbara rejoined — and she showed no disposition to part with her present — '' it is for him to decide." " Ay, ay, tek it aweh," said or moaned the A PUBLIC S.iCPJFICE. 47 shoemaker, and he disconsolately shook his head. " There will be no bottles of any kind in this house, not any more — never any more." Well, the schoolmaster would not inter- fere further ; but as he and Barbara walked away home to Campbell Street, there were black looks on his face ; and barely a word was spoken between them. Barbara did not seem to be much concerned ; she carried the electro-plated decanter wrapped up in a half-sheet of the Duntroone Times ; she was doubtless looking forward to a further con- templation of her treasure. And indeed Allan, still in one of his dark moods, was disposed to leave her to her own devices ; when they reached the house, he bade her good-bye curtly, without offering to accom- pany her upstairs ; and when she had gone, he forthwith betook himself to the shop over the way. where he found Jess behind the counter. At sight of Jess the ' dour ' look on his face softened considerably ; and it was in a kind of appealing fashion that he told her all about the shoemaker and his disastrous plight. " 0 the poor man ! " she exclaimed. " If he is as ill as that, and not having anything to eat, he will get worse and worse. This is 48 HIGHLAND COUSINS. what I will do now, Allan ; I will take along a few things, and see if he cannot be tempted — a Finnan-haddie and some strong tea would do him good, I am sure — and then he could go to his bed. And you must come with me, to compel him," she added, laughing at him as usual. " It will be quite a relief to you to have someone to hector and over- master ; it must be very dull for you in the holidays, when you have no one to browbeat and threaten." " Will you do that, Jessie ? " he said — not heeding her jibes. Her answer was prompt and decisive. She went into the parlour to apprise her mother ; she whipped on a hat and jacket ; she got a basket and put a number of things into it ; and presently these two were on their way to the shoemaker's, though Jess had to stop here and there to make a few pur- chases. Then, when they were in the house, she directed him to go into the room where the hapless Lauchie was still sitting, while she took possession of the kitchen. Lauchlan was not a cheerful companion ; and Allan, waiting there, could hear quite plainly what she was about : he could hear the sticks being put into the grate ; he could hear A PUBLIC SACRIFICE. 49 them beginning to crackle in the flames ; he could hear her getting forth plates and knives and forks from the cupboard. And not only that_, but he could make out that Jess, as she went hither and thither, was contentedly and blithely singing to herself the song of the " Twa Bonnie Maidens " — ' There are twa honnie maidens^ and three honnie maidens, Cam' over the Minch and cam' over the main; Wi' the wind for their icay, and the corrie for their hame. And they are dearly welcome to Shje again.'" And well he knew the meanino: of the eniof- matic refrain — ' Come along, come along, xcV your hoatie and your song, My ain honnie maidens, my twa honnie maidens, For the night it is dark, and the red-coat is gone, And ye are dearly welcome to Skye again.' " She's a good-hearted lass, that," said Allan, almost to himself. " Did ye speak ? " asked Lauchlan — trying to rouse himself out of this stupor of abject misery. '' I say this," continued the schoolmaster, *' that Jessie Maclean has taken a great deal of trouble in bringing you these things ; and you're not going to offend her by refusing them." Refuse them ? He could not ! — they would VOL. in. E 50 HIGHLAND COaSINS. have awakened the pangs of hunger in the interior of a Caryatid. For here was Jess with a snow-white cloth for the small table ; and here were plates and knives and forks all bright and clean ; and here was a golden- shining Finnan haddock, smoking hot and well peppered ; and here was crisp brown toast, with pats of fresh butter ; and here were young lettuces plentifully besprinkled with vinegar. Then the tea, not over- sweetened, was strong enough to have gal- vanised a mummy ; so that gradually, when Lauchlan had eaten and drank a little, the apprehensions of imminent death — alter- nating perhaps with some vague longing for the same — appeared to fade away somewhat from his features. " It is a kind woman you are," he said to her, in Gaelic, " and it is I that am thankful to you for coming here this evening." " Then you must go to bed soon, and have a sound night's rest," Jessie answered him. '-' Ay, ay, just that," he said, reverting to English — ''and maybe — maybe I'll not be seeing them things that are not there." They left him much comforted in body and mind; and as Allan accompanied Jess back to the shop, he was endeavouring to A PUBLIC SACRIFICE. 51 express "his gratitude to her for her charity towards the unhappy shoemaker. But Jess did not seem to think much of what she had done ; when she bade him good-bye, she returned to the little parlour and to her placid knitting : and as the ' Twa Bonnie Maidens ' had got into her head, she occa- sionally beguiled herself with a phrase or a stanza. ' There's a wind on the tree, and a ship on the sea, My ain honnie maidens, my twa honnie maidens ; Your cradle Til rock on the lea of the rock, And ye'll aye he welcome to Skye again' '' You're crooning there like a cushie doo," said her mother, looking up from her news- paper. " Has any one asked ye to marry him ? " " They're not likely to do that, mother," she answered, with great contentment. " And I'm well enough without." f! OF ILL U8, 52 HIGHLAND COUSINS. CHAPTER TV. BEST MAN AND BRIDEGROOM. But Jess was mistaken. There was at least one person whose sole and consuming anxiety at this moment was to ask her to become his wife, if only he could summon up his courage and also find an opportune occasion. The latter point was the councillor's chief difficulty. As for courage, he had resolved to discard the shadowy evidence of dreams ; if at times he had found his physical nerve not quite what it might be, he had on the other hand a sufficiency of moral will ; he made no doubt that when the great crisis came he would be able to acquit himself. But how was he to have private speech with Jess when she was either sitting in the parlour with her mother, or walking out with Barbara, or consulting with Allan about the window-hangings of BEST MAX AND BRIDEGROOM. 53 his new house ? And then every day the schoolmaster's wedding was drawing nearer ; and he, Peter, was to be best man — with this supreme }3roblem of his life left unsolved. The councillor grew desperate. He deter- mined that he would take the very first chance that presented itself, no matter how, when, or where, to free himself from this terrible perplexity. And yet it was not an auspicious chance, as it turned out. One morning he was walk- ing along Campbell Street, and in passing the tobacconist's shop he glanced in and noticed that Jessie was behind the counter, and that she was standing there alone. A sort of vertigo of bravery rushed to McFadyen's head : he would dare his fate then and there. He stood stock-still for only a second; perhaps it was to collect himself for the plunge ; then he entered the shop. Jess received him with the kindliest greeting. " Have you heard," he said, after a brief bewildered pause, '' that I am to be Allan's best man ? " "Oh, yes," she answered, "Barbara was telling me that." " Ay " And here there was another pause. He seemed trying to utter something. 54 HIGHLAND COUSINS. " Ay," be managed to say at length, " but I would ratber be going to the wedding in another capacity." " Well, well," said Jess, with a touch of wonder in her benignant grey eyes, " would you like to be the bridegroom yourself? But I am not astonished ; all the young men are daft about Barbara — every one of them ; they cannot keep their eyes off her when she is in church " " No, no, I did not mean that at all," the councillor broke in, hurriedly. '' Do ye not understand. Miss Jessie — it is not as anybody's best man I would like to go to the wedding — there's something else possible " " I want two ounces of cut cavendish and a clay pipe," said a thin small voice, and a little red-headed lassie came timidly forward and put a silver coin on the counter. Mr. McFadyen glared at this youthful emissary as though he could have strangled her ; but there was nothing for it but the smothering of his wrath ; he had perforce to wait in silence until she was served and had gone away. " Do ye not understand, Miss Jessie ? " he resumed. " If there were two weddings on BEST MAN AND BRIDEGROOM. 00 the same day, would not that be better ? I would rather go in the capacity of bridegroom than as best man — that's what I'm drivino^ at. If Allan and me had our weddino-s on the same day, that would be something like. And how can you speak of Barbara ? How can ye imagine I was ever thinking of Barbara ? I'll not deny that she's an attrac- tive kind of lass — ay, and well set up — the young Queen of Sheba I was calling her to Allan the other day — but, bless me, there's finer qualities than a slim waist and a silk gown " At this moment the door was darkened, and no less a person than the Provost — a big, burly man, with a frank, broad face and a loud, honest voice — looked in. " Good morning, ^liss Jessie ! " said he. '' Good morning. Provost." " Ay, ye're there, friend McFadyen — I got a glimpse of you ; and I was wanting to see you," the Provost continued, briskly. '^ Have ye drawn out your notice about the North Pier ? — I would like to have a look at it before ye submit it to the Council. But we're all with you ; there'll be no opposition ; we must just pay the £50 to the Board of Trade and aet an examination ; and I'll be 56 HIGHLAND COUSINS. surprised if they find that the conditions of the grant of the foreshore have been complied with. Everyone admits that the state of the North Pier is a scandal and a disgrace to the town ; there'll be no opposition ; but I'd just like to have a look at the terms of the motion — if ye do not mind, that is " Mr. McFadyen was choking with rage and vexation ; but what could he do ? He could not throw the Provost into the street ; for the Provost was a man of large build. He could not bring his all-important conversation with Jess to its proper climax in presence of a stranger. And if he remained boxed-up in this corner, to be talked-to about the North Pier, his anger, that he with the greatest difiSculty kept under control, would inevitably break forth and cause an amazing scene. " Come away, then — come away," he said at last, with concealed ferocity. '' The paper is in my desk ; come along to the office, and I'll show it to ye there. Good-bye, Miss Jessie — I hope I will see you soon." And therewith the luckless councillor departed — no doubt inwardly cursing the North Pier and the foreshore and everybody connected with both. But fortune was more friendly towards him on the evening of this same day ; for as BEST MAX AND BRIDEGROOM. 57 he was passing along the front he perceived that the schoolmaster, Jess, and Barbara had all of them just got into a rowing-boat, bent on some excursion or another. He quickened his pace, got down upon the beach, and hailed them before they had gone any dis- tance. " Will ye ship another passenger ? " he cried. " If ye'll take an oar," Allan called in return — and he proceeded to back the stern in and on to the shingle. ^' That will I ! " said the councillor, blithely, and presently he had got into the boat and taken up his post at the bow. " I would not enter myself at a regatta," he proceeded ; " I'm not for showing off; but in an ordinary kind of way I can take an oar with anybody. Dod, some o' the young fellows at the Gymnasium can do most astounding tricks ! — but what's the use o' them ? It's steady work that pays in the end ; and I could go on like this just the whole day. Did I tell ye thev had made me treasurer ? Ay, that's my proud title : Treasurer of the Gymnastic Section of the Young Men's Guild. It's all very well for lads at their time of life to twirl themselves 58 HIGHLAND COUSINS. round wooden bars ; but when it conies to accounts, they have to call in age and ex- perience. A little longer stroke, Allan — slow and steady — that's it — that's it now — man, I could go on like this for four-and- twenty hours." Now oddly enough all of these remarks were addressed exclusively to the school- master. The moment of his entering the boat the quick eyes of the councillor had observed that Jess Maclean looked most un- usually embarrassed. It could not be that he was unwelcome ? Or had she divined what he had been about to say to her when the burly Provost put in his unfortunate appear- ance ? The latter was the more probable ; and so much the better, Mr. McFadyen said to himself; she must have had time to consider ; she would not be startled when next he had an opportunity of urging his suit. But when and how was any such oppor- tunity to be secured ? His companions seemed to have neither aim nor destination ; there was not even a hand-line in the boat ; they appeared to be quite content with sailing out into this world of strange and mystic splendour. And they had reason to be content. For if the sun had gone down BEST MAX AND BEIDEGilOOM. 59 behind tlae deep rose-purple hills, there was still plenty of light and radiance ; the after- glow was all around them ; the bay and the outer seas as well formed but one vast lake of molten gold ; while there was a warmth of hue along the hanging woods and the terraced gardens and houses they were leaving behind. Dark and clear were the lofty ruins of the Castle ; dark and clear were the outjutting rocks in shadow ; soft and clear was the twilight of the Maiden Island ; but out in the open — far out on that golden lake — the one or two small boats that lay at the fishing- banks were of the intensest black. These were magical evenings for lovers ; no w^onder the councillor longed to be of the company. And after all Mr. McFadyen did find his chance ; for when they had pulled away round by Camas Ban, Allan proposed that they should get ashore and go for a stroll along the level sands. Jess was the only one who hung back ; she said she would rather remain in the boat ; then they remon- strated ; and finally, not to seem singular, she landed with them. And almost imme- diately the four became two and two; it could hardly be helped ; in view of the imminent wedding, every one knew that GO HIGHLAND COUSINS. the schoolmaster and Barbara must have many things to talk over; and it was but common civility to leave them to them- selves. " Jessie," said the councillor, when some little space intervened between the two couples, " did ye not understand what I was going to say to ye when the Provost came in this morning ? " " Maybe I guessed what it was — and maybe I was sorry to be guessing," answered Jess, in a low voice. " Ah, but you must not say that ! " the councillor went on, anxiously and earnestly. *' I'm not an ill-hearted man ; and I'm not a spendthrift ; ye would find a comfortable home ; and I've waited a long time for ye, Jessie. I know there's younger men than me ; and it's but natural ye should think of someone younger ; but maybe they would not put such a value on you as I do. To me you're just the one in ten thousand ; the best I ever knew, and the best-dis- positioned ; when you try to say a spiteful thing, there's aye a laugh in it, and no harm done " " Oh, Mr. McFadyen," said Jessie, in great distress, '' jon must not talk like that ; and BEST MAN AND BDIDEGROOM. 61 you must not speak of this any more ; we can be friends just as we have been for so long. And you must not think I am not sensible of your uncommon kindness, not only to us but to Allan — your helping him about the classes — and seeiDg about the new house for him " " It was for your sake, Jessie," he inter- posed. " But," she said, quickly, " you will not let your relations with Allan be altered now, whatever else happens ? " " Whether it is to be yes or no from you, Jessie," he answered her. " I'm not going back from anything I undertook to do for Allan, you may be sure of that. I'll stand by him, if he should want a friend " Her hand stole timidly towards his, for a second, in mute token of thanks. "But, Jessie," he exclaimed, though still in an undertone, " I cannot see why it shouldn't be yes. I have been coming about your house for a long while, and on the best of terms with you and your mother, and I'm sure I wasna noticing there was any one you had fixed your fancies J? on " Oh, there's no one — there's no one ! " 62 HIGHLAND COUSINS. said Jess — and she was crying a little. ''You need not think of that. It's just that — well, I cannot explain — but, Mr. McFadyeUj you have been so kind to us, to all of us, that I will ask something more of your kindness, and it is to put away that idea from your head, once and for all, and let us be the same friends that we have been for so long a time." The councillor hesitated for a second. Then he said — " I will take your answer, Jessie, for the present. And I will not bother you. But I am a patient man — and I have seen strange things happen, through waiting. Only, I will not bother you, until you your- self give some sign." And therewith for a few moments they walked on in silence until they rejoined their companions, who were on the point of turning at the end of the sands; and together the four of them strolled back to the boat : and presently they had set off for home again, through an enchanted twilight — for now the golden moon had sailed into the lilac heavens, and golden was the pathway of flame that lay on the smooth water all the way over to the black shores of Kerrara. Clear and BEST MAX AXD BRIDEGROOM. Go lambent as the night was, none of them noticed that Jess had been crying. And thus it happened that, not as bride- groom but as best man, Mr. McFadyen beheld the wedding-day approach ; and indefatigable and important was he in the discharge of his duties ; and handsome indeed were the presents he bestowed on the young couple. Then the little widow would not have her niece leave the house quite penniless — she must have her modest dowry ; and Jess also con- tributed from her slender store — at the same time persuading Barbara that plum-coloured velveteen was hardly suitable as a travelling- dress ; and the shoemaker showed his interest and concern by calling once or twice to beg and implore them not to permit the use of alcohol on the day of the ceremony. Amidst all this bustle of preparation a most remark- able piece of luck (as she considered it) fell in Jess Maclean's way. She was not much of a reader of newspapers ; and it was by the merest accident that her eye happened to light on an advertisement of the new number of a certain great quarterly, giving the list of contents ; and there she saw, to her inexpressible joy, that the first article was entitled '' The Yolkslieder of Germany." 64 HIGHLAND COUSINS. Within a couple of minutes she was out of the shop and on her way to the railway station. " Can you get me that," she said, showing the advertisement to the young man at the book-stall, '^ Can ye get me that and make sure that I'm to have it by the day after to-morrow ? " " I'll try," said he. " I will write at once." " No, no," said she. " That will not do. There must be no mistake about it. You must telegraph ; and I will pay you for the telegram." She took out her purse. " Surely, if you telegraph now to Glasgow, the magazine should be here by to-morrow night, or the next morning at the latest." ^' Oh, yes ; there's little doubt," the young man said. " And you will send it aloug to me the moment it comes ? " He promised to do so ; and Jess, her face radiant with satisfaction, hurried away back again. But she did not reveal to a living soul what she had discovered and what she had done. The wedding-ceremony, as is usual in Scotland, was to take place in the bride's home ; and no doubt it would have been BEST MAX AND BRIDEGROOM. 65 quite modest and unpretentious but tliat Mr. McFadjen, by virtue of his office, overrode all their scruples and protests, and insisted on having things managed well and properly. He meant to show Jess that he could be as good as his word ; and naturally he was a free-handed kind of a man ; when, for example, there arose the question of getting help at the breakfast — the girl Christina having to attend over the way at the shop — he promptly solved the difficulty by going along to the Argyll Arms and engaging at his own cost two of Mrs. McAskill's waiters. Then he greatly pleased Barbara by consent- ing to arrange for an open carriage to take them from the house to the railway-station, whereas Allan had been pleading for a closed cab. And when the schoolmaster was grum- bling and growling against the proposal to have speechmaking at the breakfast, Peter paid but little attention ; speechmaking he would have ; he was already priming himself by the study of a little sixpenny guide to that art. At length the fateful day arrived ; and the young Queen of Sheba was arrayed in all her splendour ; and the minister was merciful as to the length of his address. Then, when VOL. HI. F 66 HIGHLAND COUSINS. the simple rites were over, and a decent interval had elapsed, Mrs. McAskill's waiters appeared on the scene ; the table was hauled into the room again ; and presently there was furnished forth a quite elegant little feast — the presentation decanters, and the crystal, and the tiny bouquets of flowers making a most bright and cheerful show on the white cloth. The Minister presided ; Mr. McFadyen acted as ' croupier ' ; and when the small company had taken their seats, it was seen that the cunning councillor had so arranged matters that Jess found herself placed next to himself — Jess, whose friendly grey eyes were at their kindliest towards every one present. All went merry as a marriage bell, indeed ; the minister told humorous stories hoary with age ; the coun- cillor was so extremely facetious that the nimblest wit could hardly follow him ; healths and toasts were proposed and answered ; and Mrs. Maclean, though she was a little over- awed by the presence of the two waiters, was nevertheless delighted with the careful way in which they handed round her trembling jellies. In the midst of chis prevailing and joyous tumult a tall and melancholy figure presented itself at the door. BEST MAX AXD BEIDEGROOM. 67 " Aw, it's a sad sig^ht — a sad sio-ht ! " exclaimed a mournful voice. " It's a sorrowful thing to see two young lives beginning like this " The Councillor looked up quickly. He was just about to rise to ask them to drink the health of Mrs. Maclean ; and he had the opening sentences of his speech ready and pat on the tip of his tongue ; so that the inter- ruption entirely disconcerted him. " Well, what do you want ? " he demanded, with his eyes glaring. " It's my duty to protest," said Long Lauchie, regarding dismally the decanters and the glasses on the table ; ^' I was think- ing it would be like this — ay, and it's a peetiful thing to see the two young people witlj ruin and destruction staring them in the face " "Oh, go to the mischief!" cried the Councillor — his eyes now fairly glittering with rage. " Here, you waiters, pitch that man down the stair ! — fling him down the stair ! " But Allan interposed. He rose and went to the door, and got hold of Lauchlan by the arm, and led him out. " My good friend," he said, " your zeal 68 HIGHLAND COUSINS. does you every credit ; but it lacks dis- cretion. There's no drunkenness going on there, nor anything approaching to it. As for Barbara and myself, we are next door to teetotallers." " Ay, that's just it — that's just it," said the shoemaker, with a deep sigh. " Ye do not understand your danger ; ye think you're safe because of such treacherous guides as temperance and moderation ; ye do not see that they are leading you to the brink of the pit. It's an ahfu' thing to think of, how near you are to perdition and dis- grace " '' Tuts, tuts, man ! " said the schoolmaster, with angry brows. " Listen to me now. If you'll come in and sit down and have a bite and sup with us — water if you like — you'll be heartily welcome ; but we wish for none o' this haverino; " " Ay, ay, just that," responded Lauchlan, with a lamentable shake of the head. " But I'll not trouble ye. I've done my duty. Maybe you'll see your grievous mistake before the destruction comes upon ye. I'm hoping that — yes, yes, I'm hoping that — for I wish ye well — I wish ye well " And therewith he departed — as miserable a human BEST MAN AND BRIDEGEOOM. 69 being as any in Duntroone ; but at least he had done what he could ; if the young couple were rushing on their doom, it was not for want of warning. This brief interruption was soon forgotten among the general festivities, which were, indeed, prolonged until it was about time for the young folk to think of their train. More- over it had been arranged that while the rest of the company should say good-bye here in the house, or at furthest on the pavement below, Mr. McFadyen and Jess, as the two special friends, were to drive in a cab to the railway station, to bid farewell there. When Jess and her companion arrived on the plat- form, she was carrying a small parcel wrapped up in paper. There was no time to lose ; the guard was coming along, examining the tickets. Bar- bara got into the compartment, and began assorting her travelling paraphernalia. '' Allan," said Jess, shyly, " I could not get you any wedding-present that I thought you would like " " What's that, Jessie ? " he made answer, in accents of reproach. " When your kind- ness of these past weeks has been one con- tinual wedding-present ! " 70 HIGHLAND COUSINS. "But I have brought you a little thing here," she proceeded, " that.maybe will please you — and surprise you — if you have been too busy lately to notice much in the newspapers " She undid the packet that she carried, and handed to him the new number of the quarterly that had been telegraphed for from Glasgow. He took it from her — and the next moment he gave a sudden little start of astonishment. " God bless me," he exclaimed, in a boyish rapture of delight, " they've given me the first place ! " And he would turn over the pages — or rather, the sheaves of pages, for the edges of the review were uncut — his fingers holding the sheets open, his entranced eyes following this or that sentence, this or that paragraph, as if it were all a marvel and wonder to him. He forgot about the urgent guard ; he forgot about the thanks due to Jessie for her in- genious thoughtfulness ; he even forgot about his impatient, and perhaps petulant, bride. And then amongst them they got him bundled into the carriage, his treasure clasped tightly under his arm ; the door was slammed to ; there was a shriek of a whistle, and the BEST MAX AXD BRIDEGROOM. 7i train began to move ; finally came a flutter- ing of handkerchiefs so long as a certain window remained visible. Then Jess turned away. "I'm going back to the house with you, Jessie," said the councillor. " You and your mother will be a wee thing dull after so much excitement ; and I just mean to take the privilege of an old friend to intrude on you." 72 HIGHLAND COUSINS. CHAPTER Y. FOREBODINGS. Here surely was an idyllic scene : a silvery lake stretching far away to the south — the ruins of an ancient castle on a solitary island — a fisherman standing up in a drifting boat and leisurely sending his line out and on to the quiet ripples — his sole companion (for the boy at the oars need not be counted) a beautiful young creature seated in the stern, whose pensive dark-blue eyes had wandered off from the book lying idly in her lap. An all-pervading silence was in the soft summer air ; if a heron made its heavy flight from one promontory to the next, it was on slow- moving and noiseless wings. '* Come, now," said the schoolmaster to Barbara, who had spoken hardly a word during the last two hours. '' You'll do FOREBODINGS. 73 yourself a mischief if you go on in tliat wild way, Barbara. Your high spirits will be the death of you. When you keep up such a rattle of laughing and joking, it is just bewildering to the brain." Then of a sudden he changed his tone. " But really now — tell me the truth, Barbara — do you really find it dull here ? " " There is nothing to see," she said. " Gracious heavens ! " he exclaimed. " Nothing to see ! All around you lies one of the most beautiful lochs in Scotland ; over there is the Pass of Brander ; yonder is Kilchurn Castle ; and above you are the slopes and peaks of Ben Cruachan. Plenty of folk would tell you that Loch Awe is about as near to fairyland as anything you could find on the face of the earth " " I do not understand the need of liviug in a farmhouse," she said, rather sulkily, " when we have a better house of our own that we could live in." He was so astonished that he forg:ot to recover his line ; the flies began to sink in the water. " Do you mean that ? " said lie. " Would you rather go back to Duntroone now ? " " Yes," said she, curtly. 74 HIGHLAND COUSINS. " Well," he proceeded, after a moment, " people may wonder at our cutting short our honeymoon almost before it has begun ; but, indeed, it is none of their business. And there's a great deal to be done to the house yet ; and I have some literary work I should like to begin hammering at." He was slowly reeling in his line now. " Maybe I have not been quite considerate, Barbara. Of course you could not be expected to interest yourself in trout-fishing " " What is the use of catching fish that no one thinks of eating ? " she answered him. He was taking off the casting-line to wind it round his cap, for the better drying of the flies. " Yes, there's always common sense in what you say, Barbara — always common sense in what you say. And I should have remembered that you might tire of a quiet place like this. You like looking at people. Well, we'll pack up and be off the first thing to-morrow morning. And yon 11 get on with the decking out of the house ; and I'll take to my books." And thus it was that, to Jessie's great surprise, when she was least expected, Barbara walked into the shop. FOREBODINGS. 75 " Have you quarrelled already ? " said Jess, laughing. " Oh, no ; but I was wearied of sitting in a boat and doing nothing," answered Barbara. " And there are a number of things wanted for the house yet-— I have a list here — will you come with me, Jessie, and help me to choose them ? " " If you are going to make your purchases in such fine clothes as that, Barbara," said Jess, regarding her cousin's showy attire, " they'll be charging you the highest prices everywhere." " There is little advantage," retorted Barbara, with a slight toss of her head, " in having nice things, and putting them away in a drawer, instead of wearing them." Jess was never very anxious to have thje last word ; her sole reply was to go and fetch her hat and jacket ; and together the two cousins set forth on their expedition. Now all through the furnishing of the house in Battery Terrace Jess Maclean had been the chosen adviser of the young couple ; and lucky it was for them that she could spare the time ; for Barbara's ideas were of a large and liberal order ; while Allan — always shy in money matters — was simply 76 HIGHLAND COUSINS. unable to deny liis betrothed anything. Generally speaking, when Barbara's childish love of finery and display was like to have led them into serious extravagance, some compromise was effected more in accordance with the schoolmaster's limited means. But on this particular morning, Barbara, now armed with the authority of a wife, seemed to know no restraint ; whilst Jess, finding her remonstrances unheeded, became frightened at her own complicity. " Barbara," she said, on coming out of one of the shops, " are you sure your husband would like your opening accounts in that way? " It is impossible to carry money in your pocket to pay for all these things," responded Barbara at once. " I know there is nothing he abhors so much as debt," Jess ventured to say. " Every one thinks that the classes will be growing bigger and bigger," Barbara made answer. " But they are not meeting just now ; and there is no income from them " " And that is why the people can put the things down in a book ; and then, when the classes meet again, they will be paid." rOKEBODINGS. 77 " I hope at least you will tell Allan," Jess once more ventured to say. " Whether I tell him or whether I do not tell him is of little matter — he has the use of the things I am buying as much as any one else." And with that Jessie's protests were for the moment dismissed. By this time it was nearing a quarter to one ; and Barbara said she would like to go into the railway station, to call at the book-stall. " The book-stall ? " repeated Jess, with some surprise. '' I was reading," her cousin explained, " that if you wish to make a parlour or drawing-room look home-like, you should put two or three illustrated papers about, and I may as well get them when I am here." She got the papers, and had them rolled up ; but when she came out of the station again, she said — " Now we will go along to the South Pier and cross the bay in the Aros Castle.'' " It will be quite as quick to walk back," Jess pointed out ; " and you are not half through your list yet." " But I would rather cross over in the 78 HIGHLAND COUSINS. steamer," she said, impatiently ; and of course a young bride, petted and spoilt by every- one, expects to have her own way : Jess smiled assent, said ' Yery well,' and ac- companied her — not knowing what all this might mean. She was soon to learn. For no sooner had Barbara got on to the upper-deck of the Aros Castle than she began to give herself airs of ostentation ; she affected great gaiety of spirits ; and wherever the Purser, in the pursuance of his duties, happened to pass by, she would manage somehow or other to be talking of the house in Battery Terrace. " Can you see the curtains in the windows, Jessie ? " she would say, as if she were oblivious of everything around her, and all intent upon straining her eyes towards the distant villa. " Maybe red is easier seen than anything else. Or maybe it is because Battery Terrace is above the smoke of the town that you can make out things or guess at them. I am going to have lace curtains up as well, when I have time. But the red looks very well, when you are passing along the Terrace." Ogilvie paid no heed to her. He had greeted Jess Maclean when she came on FOEEBODIXGS. 79 board ; Barbara be bad ignored altogether — he did not even raise bis cap. Wbetber or not be surmised tbat be was being ' talked at,' be looked sullen and annoyed. But sbe forced bim to take notice of ber. For wben tbey bad crossed tbe bay and were approaching the North Pier, she went boldly up to him. " How much for my cousin and me ? " sbe said ; and she produced her purse, and took out from it a sovereign. In doing so she could hardly help displaying not only ber wedding-ring but also tbe keeper-ring with its rosette of garnets. " Oh, nothing, nothing," he answered her — but his face had flushed red with vexation. For this was an open insult. Sbe knew as well as he that there was no recognised charge for a mere passage from pier to pier ; again and again on former occasions he had asked ber to accept the few minutes' sail as a compliment. '' I wish to pay," she said, coldly, and she offered bim the sovereign. Anger burned in his eyes. " I have not enough change," he said, shortly, and he turned on his heel and left her. When the gangway was shoved on 80 HIGHLAND COUSIXS. board, Barbara was the first person to go on shore, and she certainly had a proud and erect carriage. Jess followed — with some vague, half - alarmed notion that in the circumstances silence was best. It was about eight or ten days thereafter that Allan Henderson went down to call on Mr. iMcFadyen. The servant-maid who opened the door told him that her master was in the yard behind ; so he passed through the house, and found himself in a large open space, the further end of which was occupied by massive stacks of coal, while at the nearer end appeared a smart little greenhouse. But it was the group in front of him that caused Allan's eyes to open wide ; for here was the chubby councillor standing in front of a large horse — a great, big, raw-boned creature, with prominent knees and shaggy pasterns — while hanging by was a long loutish lad who had the appearance of an ostler's apprentice. '• It's a present, what d'ye think ! " said McFadyen to his visitor, as he contemplated with a curious expression of face this uncouth quadruped and its rusty saddle and bridle. " Dod, I think I could have done without it ; but, ye see, Mrs. Dugald up at the Rinns she declares that the beast is no manner o' use to FOEEBODrN-GS. 81 them now, since her husband died ; and she cannot bear to sell it, for it's an old favourite. Well, if I have to pay for its keep, I must make some use of the creature ; and at present I am getting the stable-lad here to bring it along for an odd half-hour, nows and again, so that I can practise mounting and dismounting. Man, it's grand exercise ! — just famous ! — and I tell ye I'll soon be a dab at it. See this now " He boldly advanced to the animal, and, without bothering about the reins, he twisted a tuft of the mane round the fingers and thumb of his left hand ; then he managed, with a little difficulty — for he was a short man and rather corpulent — to get his left foot in the stirrup ; with a clutch at the cantle and a spring from his right foot he rose in the air ; there was a moment of dread- ful suspense ; and then with a brief but frantic effort he succeeded in throwing his leg over, while the protuberant part of his person, coming in contact with the pommel, prevented his pitching forward and down the other side. He was quite proud of the performance. " Dod, I tell ye it's a grand exercise ! " said he, sitting serene and happy in the VOL. m.